music, therapy, and me

So, today is not a single song - it is a composer. My favorite composer, to be specific. This is coming from a post I saw randomly yesterday - "what is your favorite song from a soundtrack?" To be completely honest, I cannot answer that question.  I don't have one favorite song from a soundtrack - I have so many that choosing one just makes my brain hurt. So, instead of trying to select one song, I have selected my favorite composer, John Williams. There isn't much that Mr. Williams has written that I have not loved. I am sure that my love stems from my love of the Star Wars movies. That is the first movie that I remember seeing as a child - the first Star Wars movie - back when it was just called "Star Wars" - from the back of the station wagon at the drive-in. My parents had been to the movie the night before and decided that they wanted to see it again. They figured that their three children (I was the oldest at seven) would fall asleep in their pajamas i...

Okay. This is going to be a strange blog post because I am feeling pretty fragile and not at all happy about things going on in my life. I find that writing about things like this helps me to navigate those feelings and figure out ways to move forward. My Dad used to be the person who helped with that more than anyone else, and his counsel is something I really miss at times like this. So, I am sitting here, waiting for the plumber to call me (30-45 minutes before they arrive) to fix a leaky faucet, and trying to keep myself together. I got the results of my allergy testing yesterday. It showed that I was only allergic to one thing that they tested for - a mold that grows on indoor plants. I don't have any indoor plants. I am not allergic to anything else - according to this test. This doesn't answer the main question in my life right now - why can't I breathe?? At least I can consider getting some kitties now - my blood did not respond to cat dander even though my eyes swe...

Oh, goodness. I have remembered to write in the afternoons now two times in a row. My views have gone down significantly, but I think I know ways to get you all to see my posts on various social media accounts... we'll see. Okay. Today is Tuesday (and my brain is working a bit better today than it was yesterday), so that means it is time to talk about therapeutic music experiences (TMEs). So, here we go. This week, the first week in May, is always Star Wars week in my music therapy room. It will always be so - I have decided. We are exploring elements of my favorites stories and some of my toys, and it is music therapy because of the goals behind it all. My groups are getting to spend some time in a galaxy far, far away because I am just a bit of a fan. We have a presentation that introduces some of the music of the series and some of the planets that the creative people behind Star Wars have developed over all these years. We talk about how it would be difficult to take instrument...

It is almost over...Star Wars week, that is. Oh, also, Teacher Appreciation Week is almost over as well, but that's almost secondary to the first celebration in my life! I love all things Star Wars, so this has been a good week for me. I started a new thing in my favorite system of all time - my bullet journal! I tend to use my books until I fill almost all the pages, and it was time to change from my current book to a new one this week. I have filled up my yellow book with weekly planning calendar spreads and notes and things that I feel are important to know about, and I decided to start up my new book for the month of May because...well, it is Star Wars week, and my new journal is a Star Wars themed journal. I am focusing on a different character each week. I found a list of characters from the Star Wars universe, used a random number generator, and now have a different character to research every week. I am trying to work on my drawing and lettering and just making time for doi...

I am running themed therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) at my facility this week because... It is Star Wars week, or, as a co-worker put it yesterday, "It is the May." This is the one week per year that I devote myself to a theme for music therapy programming. I do not often use themes with my clients because I don't like that type of structure or limitations and my clients often need me to do other things. I think thematic programming would be fine, but it's not what I want as a therapist. So, I don't use themes. Even though I do not use themes for my own sessions, I do love creating things that go together for various categories and topics. I'm working on a new subscription service that will focus on thematic programming exclusively. The first topic? Cats...of course, it is cats. Anyway... This week's theme is Star Wars, and I have pulled out my May storage box to access as many of my Star Wars visuals and materials as possible. In my monthly boxes, I h...

It is time for my favorite themed week of the year. Star Wars week! I am a fan of the Star Wars stories from long ago. Episode 4 was the first movie that I remember seeing in the drive-in theater. I know that I saw movies in theaters before that, but I only know that from stories rather than my own memories. This movie I remember with my own eyes - watching it from the back of our station wagon, late at night. My junior intern will be doing most of the sessions for his assigned caseload this week. That will not change, but my senior intern is giving up her time with clients so I can do what I love to do... play with my clients!  We are going to boss R2-D2 around. We are going to learn a bit about John Williams. We are going to do much, much more as well. We may use our pool noodles to conduct or to even do some highly restrained and supervised light saber battles. I want to find my mini flashlights to see if we could do some constellation stuff as well. This is the week. I do not u...

I woke up at the usual time (around 3am), wasted some time on social media (TikTok is addictive for me), showered, and I am now sitting here, thinking about what I am going to write about on this Wednesday.  My boss surprised me with the announcement that it is time for my formal evaluation (happens every three years) and asked when I would like for him to observe. I offered the four remaining sessions that I have this week that are mine alone (translation: My intern isn't running her TMEs in these sessions). He selected my 10am group - a bunch of late adolescents with significant involvement in their developmental concerns. I am nervous - a little - but more about whether he will "get" what I do with kids or whether he will be like his predecessor who really didn't care at all. In fact, the last time I had one of these, the principal didn't even bother to come and observe - she just used the notes she took in the minimal observation that she did the three years b...

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. It is Star Wars Day tomorrow (May the Fourth, you know), so I am taking one of my favorite things in the world to work - my R2-D2 robot! He is voice-activated and stubborn as all get out, which I absolutely LOVE! We do some experimentation with offering commands and waiting for responses and then we let him do his thing all over the music therapy room. He is a great tool for some discussion about listening, about conflict, and about how it feels when people do not listen to you. In addition to playing with R2, we are going to use some mini flashlights that I bought from Oriental Trading Co a long time ago - they have constellations on them! We are also going to listen to John Williams' music. There is nothing that I disapprove of this week! I love it all! This is a good way to start the last month of our regular schedule. I get to let my nerdy, fan-girl side out and still justify all this as a therapeutic event! So, this week's sess...

If you have read this blog around this time of year for the past several years (at least, since Disney took over the Star Wars franchise), then you know that I am a HUGE fan! I have now seen the last movie, The Rise of Skywalker, twice, and I will be going back for some more once I get back to my own home. Looking forward to watching this movie the third time will get me through some cold, wintery, gloomy days, I am more than sure! I promise, I will not reveal any spoilers about the plot, the ending, or anything OTHER THAN... My FAVORITE composer of all time has a cameo! There. That's the only thing that I will reveal. Mr. John Williams is my favorite composer. There is no one else who even compares in my musical universe, though Michael Giacchino is gaining on some of my other favorites right now. Mr. Williams, however, is at the pinnacle that all others are compared to and must strive to achieve! My love affair with the music of Mr. Williams started with my first inter...

I worked for three days (so far) this week, and I came up with two formal therapeutic music experiences (TME) and one on-the-spot TME this week. I need one more for this week to meet my self-imposed "NTM" TME Challenge (read more about it here ).  Since it is the week closest to May the Fourth, I'm taking advantage of all things Star Wars (and my very large amount of Star Wars stuff) to celebrate my favorite week of the year while at work. I took in my R2-D2 robot and showed my clients how it worked. We also talked about my favorite composer (you guessed it), John Williams, and we did some light saber conducting to the soundtrack for A New Hope (Number IV - if you are unfamiliar with the canon...). At the end of another session, I did an on-the-spot improvisation song for commands to the robot to see if he would be listening to us. He wasn't. I've written up one of the TMEs already - Light Saber Conducting. I made an instrument playing card game relay (it us...

Did you think that this was going to be a post about me and my work as a music therapist? Nope. Sorry to disappoint. This post is going to be about my favorite movies of all time. The Star Wars saga - birthed by George Lucas and continued by Disney. Uh-oh, I just lost about half of you when I revealed this fact about the post (and myself). Okay, I love the Star Wars movies - all of them - from the first to the most recent, and I get to see the latest installment TONIGHT! I am going to see SOLO. Most folks don't realize how much of a big deal this is for me. I am going to an evening movie (never do that) that I paid full price for (again, NEVER do that) and sit in a completely full theater with my fellow Star Wars enthusiasts! I will get the free small popcorn that I got for my birthday earlier this week and a Sprite in a commemorative cup! I will go to my seat, H-13, recline a bit, and settle in to watch this next story. I may even wear my Star Wars Table of Elements t-sh...

One of the very best things about my job is that I can do what I want to do when I feel that something is going to be beneficial to my clients. Unfortunately for them, that also means that I can subject them to my favorite things every so often. This was one of those weeks. Today is May the Fourth! May the fourth be with you, always!! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, my apologies for taking you on this journey because I am a Stars Wars fan! (This is me in my Naboo Pilot's helmet that I got for free from someone who knows how much I love these movies and the continuing saga!) This week was the week where I get to show my constant devotion and fandom to this movie franchise to my students. Namely, I brought in my R2-D2 interactive toy and played with him all week. My sister asked, "What do you actually DO with him during music therapy?" Well...we play with him. (That's not good enough - come up with a therapeutic goal, QUICK!) We work on comm...

Yesterday, I finally was able to see the latest in the Star Wars series, and I cried during the last 30 minutes of the film. It was not embarrassing - I often cry at films - but the story moved me greatly, and crying is my way of expressing emotions of all sorts. My sister fished around in her purse and came up with a tissue, so I was able to blot my tears without having to resort to wiping my nose on my R2-D2 t-shirt (worn specifically for the movie!). I will make sure not to spoil anything about the movie for those of you who want to see it but haven't yet. I have been actively avoiding everything I found that concerns the movie because I didn't want to know until I saw it. I won't be a spoiler, so read on with confidence if you haven't seen The Last Jedi yet. So... Here's an admission. I love Star Wars. I always have, and I always will. I remember the first time I saw A New Hope (number 4 for those of you who do not know a time where there weren't...

This week has been a mish-mash of session experiences, mainly because I am a total geek and feel that my clients should be celebrating May the Fourth because I want an excuse to celebrate May the Fourth at work. It is ridiculous how much stuff I have related to this movie series. I know that, as a middle-aged woman, that I shouldn't really have this much stuff, but it celebrates something that made a huge impact on me and my life during my younger years. I love all things Star Wars, and it shows.  This week, we've been experimenting with my R2-D2 voice activated droid. About half of the school has met R2 now, five groups haven't yet - I saved him for the actual day for those groups. I am fascinated by how my clients react to this toy. Some shrink back initially - it is kinda creepy to see a toy start to move on its own. Others just can't keep their hands off it. They want to push buttons, but there's not a lot of buttons to push. R2 moves around on his own, re...

So, surprise surprise, I am a geek. No, wait, I am more than that. I am a SUPER-GEEK! My homemade journal... I love many things that are considered "geeky." I've been a band geek, a choir geek, an academic decathlete, an honor student, a scout (when scouting was really NOT cool), a camp counselor, and a goody-goody. I love anything Disney, Star Wars (of course), Firefly, Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies, Gilmore Girls, board games, Star Trek (to a lesser extent than Star Wars), anything by Joss Whedon, The Thrilling Adventure Hour, NPR, and lots of other things. I haven't, however, been a Whovian. (Sorry about that, Dr. Who fans! I just can't get into it!) I love all things geeky, and I think this has improved my work with adolescents. (By the way, I was Star Wars Queen at camp for kids with autism two years running!) I know things about strange and obscure geeky things that no person has any business to know. My students seem to respond well when I can re...